The 4 Best Nikon Vlogging Cameras

Nikon has been one of the most successful camera brands for many years. Each competitor has its own strength, and Nikon’s main strength is photography. Even though its main competitor does offer many more options for video, it doesn’t mean Nikon can’t compete. You will be surprised at the cameras I’ll show you in this list of the 4 best Nikon vlogging cameras.

Why Using Nikon for Vlogging?

Still, it’s undeniable that you will find more options for video between other brands. This is especially true for vlogging, as Canon, Panasonic and Sony have more experience and they love making small cameras that perform well for video.

This is why I like to recommend Nikon mainly for people that need a camera for their Youtube channel but that also need to take a lot of pictures.

For example, makeup artists will get a lot from these cameras. They can deliver great video, but they excel at taking pictures. Food vloggers will also find these cameras really useful.

So, if you need a camera for both video and photography, these Nikon machines will make you happy.

Review of the 4 Best Nikon Cameras for video blogs

The Nikon 1J5 is the only affordable mirrorless proposal from this company, but it is a good one.

This mirrorless is a small camera that has better sensor than point & shoots, has interchangeable lenses and a flip screen.

It is as light as the Canon Powershot G7 X, even though it comes with a larger sensor, which improves its low-light performance.

It can record up to 1080p60 and it offers time-lapse and slow-motion recording.

These are quite good things to have in a vlogging camera. But the best thing is that it’s all available for a good price.

It’s a shame that Nikon didn’t build an APS-C sensor for it, and this is the main reason why people prefer Sony or Panasonic for mirrorless. However, this would have made this camera a lot more expensive.

Either way, it still is a good vlogging camera thanks to the good stabilization system included in the stock lens and its good price.

Camera Highlights

The following camera is another mirrorless proposal from Nikon. It is more expensive than the Nikon 1 J5, but it also has another features that make up the price difference.

To begin with, this one comes with a microphone port. This means that you won’t have to spend an extra few hundred bucks in a portable recorder and a microphone. This by itself makes recording video a lot easier.

It also has better battery life (310 shots instead of 250), but it doesn’t come with a flip screen.

It offers quite a bigger help to photographers too. This one comes with an electronic viewfinder, which is necessary to take pictures in sunny days, and it’s generally more comfortable to use this way.

It also offers better slow-motion because it can get up to 120 frames per second, while the other one tops at 60.

Finally, it is very comfortable to hold, even though it’s quite heavier than the Nikon 1 J5.

It is the second good option that Nikon offers if you want a camera with larger sensor (which means better in low light) but that is still easier to carry around than a DSLR.

Camera Highlights

Here we enter the DLSR territory. This camera has an APS-C sensor, which is the largest you can find before full-frame.

This makes it better in low light than most cameras in the market.

They can be quite big, but they also perform the best. They offer the best dynamic range, colors and performance in low light. That’s why while the previous cameras are the ones you need to get if you want to record vlogs outside, these ones are great options if you want to record mostly from home.

To begin with, the D5300 is the first camera that comes to mind when introducing someone to DSLRs.

It’s cheap for a DSLR, but it offers everything that makes these cameras unique. The Nikon D5300 comes with everything a YouTuber needs to start implementing real high quality to their channel.

It has a flip screen, WiFi, timelapse recording, good focus and fully manual mode; all this in a camera that delivers great colors and can take professional-looking pictures for a good price.

Alternative

A cheaper good alternative is the Nikon D3300, which is basically a D5300 without the extra useful things like WiFi, flip screen and timelapse recording. Its autofocus isn’t as good either but this is not important if you want to record from home

Camera Highlights

If you want to take it one step further, the Nikon D610 DSLR is an outstanding camera combining both photography and video.

I recommend this one if you are truly serious about photography and vlogging at the same time.

It isn’t the most comfortable camera to carry around, and it’s much heavier than the D5300, but it’s a camera that any photographer could love.

It performs extremely well in low light for the price. This is because it’s a full-frame DSLR that won’t cost you an eye watering amount of money.

This camera has environmental sealing, a top LCD screen that helps changing settings easily, can shoot up to 900 pictures without depleting its battery, and its viewfinder is extremely good (pentaprism and 100% coverage).

I could say this one is worth getting only if you are planning to take a lot of shots together with your vlogging, but the truth is that having a full-frame camera for this price is good for any kind of job.

You don’t need to worry about lighting with this camera, and that is enough for it to be considered one of the best cameras for YouTube vlogging (although using good lighting will make your channel stand out).

Just remember that it’s quite heavy.

It is a camera that comes in handy to few people, as most vloggers will be satisfied with any other cheaper camera from this list. But if you’re the right person, you will find this camera really useful.